5 Calorie Burning Moments From Thanksgiving

The wonderful holiday season is upon us, which means a likely ascent in our weight.  I have read stories upon stories about what we need to do when enjoying holiday meals with family in order to ensure our weight stays right where we want it.  We’re supposed to eat less with portion control and do our best not to indulge too much.  Let’s be honest, is it really that easy?

I am sure I should not have had a soda, nor should I have stacked my dinner plate with everything imaginable for Thanksgiving.  I guess that also means I wasn’t supposed to enjoy a piece of the four pies provided, nor should I have enjoyed any cake.  But, I thought to myself, I deserve it.  I workout hard for a reason.  I workout so I can eat.  I don’t want to be standing there counting my calories at Christmas.  I want to be opening my gifts with one hand and chomping on a piece of cake with my other.  I know that visual sounds stunning, but you know exactly what I mean. 

Rachel and I had a wonderful thanksgiving with my family.  It was an affair that lasted four days, with many calories consumed, which were all well worth it.  Although we did not have the opportunity to work out during our time in San Antonio, we found we burned calories in small increments. 

Thanksgiving Holiday Calorie Burning Moments

1.  Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints:  Not only did we cheer…we danced…well…in the second half until about 3:30 left in the game.  With one side of the family cheering for the Saints and the other for the Cowboys, it was a Thanksgiving to remember.  I did a little dance more than once when the Cowboys took the lead and things looked to be in our favor.  Of course we all know what happened…The Boys lost.

Calories Burned:  50

2.  Playing Pool:  Ushering in the Holiday season with Thanksgiving at my Aunt’s new house was wonderful.  It helped that she had a room with a pool table.  Of course all of us played pool all night.  I figure with Rachel and I playing quite a few games against everyone, jumping up and down with luck shots, high fiving each other with wins and circling the table quite a bit we should have burned a few calories.

Calories Burned: 150

3.  Black Friday…Shopping:  Everyone is supposed to shop on Black Friday right?  Of course Rachel and I slept in after our hard workout on Thanksgiving.  We ended up going shopping around 1:00 pm looking for great deals.  7 hours later we were done.  Rachel made out with a new coat, boots, sweaters and a smile.  I made out with a whole cap.  In the end I figure we walked a marathon, which wasn’t easy.  Between the walking, the walking, and the walking I am sure we burned quite a few calories.

Calories Burned: 300

4.  Batting Cages/Putt-Putt:  A trip home to visit family wouldn’t be complete without a fun activity.  Saturday we decided to play Putt-Putt and hit some balls at the batting cage.  I always feel like a kid at the batting cage, which is always great to feel when you’re getting older.  Playing Putt-Putt was really fun too, although we all lost to my sister who never brought it to our attention that she was pretty much on par for every hole.  I figure swinging a bat then a putter and jumping up and down when I hit two holes in one likely burned some calories.

Calories Burned:  200

5.  Cranium:  Saturday night we decided to play some more games and what is better than Cranium?  It combines Pictionary, trivia, charades and sculpting all into one game.  It’s easy to get a slight workout when playing a game like this.  It’s even easier to get a workout when you are jumping up and down after winning…not that me and Rachel brag or anything, but we won.

Calories Burned: 100

I know…you’re right…maybe all of this is wishful thinking.  It is possible me and Rachel did not burn this many calories over the Thanksgiving holiday.  In fact, it is likely that we didn’t burn many at all.  But, the most important thing is that we enjoyed every second of it.  To us that was more important than worrying about every calorie we put in our mouths or stressing about when we could workout again.  We both know that as soon as we get home we will hit the grind once again.  Our feet will be churning and those calories will be burning.  Our meals will get healthier and our focus will shift back to our usual disciplined lifestyle. 

It’s important to let yourself indulge every now and then.  Always run hard and be healthy, but never forget to enjoy life and your loved ones.